Canon G620 printer, ICM vs Driver Matching what's the best a color management option?

I'm a new owner of the Canon G620. I'm printing using Photoshop and based on my experience with Canon 9000 Pro, the best color management approach is direct using paper's ICC profile right in Photoshop's printing UI (while the printer's color management has been switched off).
To my surprise Canon 500/600 series printers use "hidden" ICC paper profiles. I.e. direct access to Canon ICC profiles for these printers is not available anymore. I have faced that after a printer driver has been installed we can find NO fresh installed Canon ICC profiles as it used before.
So, I have been forced to give color management from Photoshop to the printer and select only one of two color management options left at the printer UI, i.e. select either "Driver Matching" or "ICM" option.
I might be wrong, but it seems these two options (or might be one of them) are not able to work with incoming pictures with wide color gamut (such as Adobe RGB, Ekta Space, ProPhoto etc.).
I can't find clear comprehensive explanations and want to know what the difference between "Driver Matching" and "ICM" options (at the printer GUI)?
Some Canon materials talk something like that these options have to be using with mainly only sRGB incoming digital picture's data or when an application - picture source is not able to provide color management, i.e. all incoming pictures come to be simply sRGB, irrespectively the real color space used by pictures there. Anyway it looks not clear and too puzzled.
So, which one of these options is able to work correctly with wide gamut color pictures, let say, incoming EktaSpace' digital picturs?
I'm afraid I have to convert my pictures to sRGB with cutting some saturated colors, I would want to avoid such scenario.
Here is some Canon's explanations:
https://ij.manual.canon/ij/webmanua... series/1.0/EN/PPG/dg-c_color_correction.html

https://ij.manual.canon/ij/webmanua...eries/1.0/EN/PPG/dg-c_color_correction03.html
The most questionable explanations from Canon:

Specifying Color Correction
You can specify the color correction method suited to the type of document to be printed.
Normally, the printer driver adjusts the colors by using Canon Digital Photo Color so that data is printed with color tints that most people prefer. This method is suitable for printing sRGB data.

When you want to print by using the color space of the image data effectively, select ICM.

Specify an ICC Profile with the Printer Driver, and then Print
Print from an application software that cannot identify input ICC profiles or does not allow you to specify one by using sRGB as the color space of the data.

It looks like based on Canon's explanations above (see the links) both available options "Driver Matching" and "ICM" anyway assigned to work with sRGB pictures.

And the question is appearing what can I do if I want to print wide gamut photo?
I see the only way to buy quite expensive equipment few times more than printer itself and start to create own ICC profiles for selected papers.
I'll be happy to find out I'm wrong.

After some of my experimental investigations,
Option "ICM" at the Matching Tab seems to allow me to work with non-sRGB input pictures, including wide-gamut pictures, such as EktaSpace, etc.
("Printer manages colors" enabled in Photoshop's printing settings.).
Apparently, such a way is based on the "hidden ICC profile" of a specified paper that's built into the printer driver and is not available to be extracted at all.

However, this way does not provide perfect results, I see not-so-smooth gradients on test pictures.
And I definitely get better results switching off the printer's color management and using a third-party ICC profile (thanks a lot to Red River).
Can't believe my eyes a built-in integrated ICC profile is not as good as a not-native third party, it's a strange nonsense.

Great Post. You bring up some valid concerns. I just bought a G620 a few weeks ago. It will be my 5th photo printer over many years. Just sold my Pro 100. I am not as technically knowledgeable as you, but I understand most of what are trying to solve. Sorry I can't answer any of your concerns. What I am posting about is my surprise that this thread has no replies. The G620 has a lot of untapped potential. The grey and "red" combo is one of a kind in the bulk ink tank printer world, especially in this price range. $249 on sale. Very few here seem to see this potential. I have been just proofing using 4x6 prints in combination with tweaking the Canon software sliders. Canon provides five sliders, three color, brightness and contrast adjustments. Then I print the 8.5x11 when all is adjusted. The ink is a non-issue because it feels like it's almost free. The final adjusted setting from the 4x6 proofs, nets an 8.5x11 that rivals my Pro 100. This printer has daily practical uses too, combined with the cheap ink, means it gets used often, solving any dry head issues that many photo-printers face. I hope you get your questions answered. Otherwise just enjoy it. Finally printing quality photos without the gouging ink cost. (-:

Sorry I replied to your original post before I saw your update (second post). I do think Canon is treading cautiously as not to hurt the pro-market high profit margins.

Glad to see you are finding some work arounds.

Keep it fun, (-:

Yes. An excellent ink set, used also by Epson XP-15000.

Jose Rodriguez on YouTube probably answers Driver Matching vs ICM, but you will have to wade through some lengthy videos. I couldn't find it quickly, but he has many videos on working with the printer driver on Windows.

Ken53 said:

Great Post. You bring up some valid concerns. I just bought a G620 a few weeks ago. It will be my 5th photo printer over many years. Just sold my Pro 100. I am not as technically knowledgeable as you, but I understand most of what are trying to solve. Sorry I can't answer any of your concerns. What I am posting about is my surprise that this thread has no replies. The G620 has a lot of untapped potential. The grey and "red" combo is one of a kind in the bulk ink tank printer world, especially in this price range. $249 on sale. Very few here seem to see this potential. I have been just proofing using 4x6 prints in combination with tweaking the Canon software sliders. Canon provides five sliders, three color, brightness and contrast adjustments. Then I print the 8.5x11 when all is adjusted. The ink is a non-issue because it feels like it's almost free. The final adjusted setting from the 4x6 proofs, nets an 8.5x11 that rivals my Pro 100. This printer has daily practical uses too, combined with the cheap ink, means it gets used often, solving any dry head issues that many photo-printers face. I hope you get your questions answered. Otherwise just enjoy it. Finally printing quality photos without the gouging ink cost. (-:

Click to expand...

quality prints

Pictures shooter said:

And the question is appearing what can I do if I want to print wide gamut photo?
I see the only way to buy quite expensive equipment few times more than printer itself and start to create own ICC profiles for selected papers.
I'll be happy to find out I'm wrong.

Click to expand...

Hi,

Thanks for posting the links. It made it easier to find out what options you have.

Short answer:

Your familiar with ICC workflows and want to use wide gamut working spaces. I would continue to do what you know and use "None" manual colour adjustment. Canon document that as possible in the first answer in one of your links:


Taking what you say about missing ICC profiles as read, then you don't need to buy equipment to make them. There are resellers and manufacturers that create profiles for free or at low cost like PermaJet. There are also third-parties who create profiles at low cost.

I would do that for any work you care about and that would still leave the option for Driver Matching or ICM for everything else if you have a random pack of cheaper canon paper.

Longer answer:

Regarding your questions ultimately only the Canon engineers know how ICM and Driver Matching are implemented. It's a big big subject, but based on experience working in printer development I read the documentation as:

None - ICC workflow e.g. Photoshop
Driver Matching - "fully auto". Mentioned as safe bet for sRGB so the most likely input assumption, but unclear if other inputs are supported. You would need to test.
ICM - apps supporting ICM workflow. Non sRGB input might be supported, would need to test.

Typical selections would be None or Driver Matching unless for some reason an ICM workflow was being used.

If the "Driver Matching" path had unwanted colour corrections, e.g. some auto image "enhancer", then ICM might provide a "clean" sRGB path for cases where you don't have an output profile for a supported paper.

PanoSteve said:

Pictures shooter said:

And the question is appearing what can I do if I want to print wide gamut photo?
I see the only way to buy quite expensive equipment few times more than printer itself and start to create own ICC profiles for selected papers.
I'll be happy to find out I'm wrong.

Click to expand...

Hi,

Thanks for posting the links. It made it easier to find out what options you have.

Short answer:

Your familiar with ICC workflows and want to use wide gamut working spaces. I would continue to do what you know and use "None" manual colour adjustment. Canon document that as possible in the first answer in one of your links:

https://ij.manual.canon/ij/webmanua...eries/1.0/EN/PPG/dg-c_color_correction03.html

Taking what you say about missing ICC profiles as read, then you don't need to buy equipment to make them. There are resellers and manufacturers that create profiles for free or at low cost like PermaJet. There are also third-parties who create profiles at low cost.

I would do that for any work you care about and that would still leave the option for Driver Matching or ICM for everything else if you have a random pack of cheaper canon paper.

Longer answer:

Regarding your questions ultimately only the Canon engineers know how ICM and Driver Matching are implemented. It's a big big subject, but based on experience working in printer development I read the documentation as:

None - ICC workflow e.g. Photoshop
Driver Matching - "fully auto". Mentioned as safe bet for sRGB so the most likely input assumption, but unclear if other inputs are supported. You would need to test.
ICM - apps supporting ICM workflow. Non sRGB input might be supported, would need to test.
Typical selections would be None or Driver Matching unless for some reason an ICM workflow was being used.

If the "Driver Matching" path had unwanted colour corrections, e.g. some auto image "enhancer", then ICM might provide a "clean" sRGB path for cases where you don't have an output profile for a supported paper.

Click to expand...

PanoSteve,
I've just read your post again and looking from my current knowledge I believe that your thoughts are absolutely correct and reasonable, and most likely based on actual and justifiable experience.
Thank you very much for your considerations.
I'm currently using profiles from a third party.

Gesture said:

Yes. An excellent ink set, used also by Epson XP-15000.

Jose Rodriguez on YouTube probably answers Driver Matching vs ICM, but you will have to wade through some lengthy videos. I couldn't find it quickly, but he has many videos on working with the printer driver on Windows.

Click to expand...

The Epson XP-15000 uses cartridges. Not in the same class as this G620. I am sure Epson will market one soon to compete with this Canon that uses economical tanks and with the addition of red and grey colors. Only costs $250 besides. Good things come to those who wait.

Let's hope so, but Epson is clearly holding back on tank versions of more advanced printers. Yes, we have ET-8500 and ET-8550, but there could be a all-pigment ink tank photo printer.

Being on the Mac, I can't really use the Canon G620 to its best advantage and not all the reviews I've read are stellar.

A tank version of XP-15000 would be welcome, even if it is dye ink. Pigment would be better. One doesn't need 8-12 ink channels t o produce fine work.